Composite shipping boxes



Feb. 11, 1969 J. w. STECKE COMPOSITE SHIPPING BOXES She'et Filed Aug.15, 1966 INVENTOR. MOHN w $750K! Feb; 11 1969 w, s c

' COMPOSITE SHIPPING BoXEs Filed Aug. 15, 1966 R 2 m c m m S UnitedStates Patent 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosurerelates to field boxes or containers for shipping citrus fruits, andprovides field boxes employing pre-molded plastic panels or side membersof a design to render such boxes sturdy and to a great extent immune tomoisture and rotting.

The containers have wooden end panels and wooden partition members towhich the side and bottom panels of a thermoplastic material are nailed.The panels are of corrugated shape to give them structural strength andfor convenience of nailing the panels to the end partition members, theends and center of the panels are provided with integrally formedseating areas which have flat surfaces on opposite sides for engagingthe edges of the end and partition members with the body of the seatingareas filling in the grooves of the corrugated ends. Nails may be driventhrough the seating areas of the panel into the wooden ends andpartition section and banding iron is wrapped around the exterior of theassembled panel on the outside flat surface at the end and partitionsections. The construction lends itself to the speedy assembling of theparts and adapts the molded panel sections for use as replacements onthe present-day wooden shipping field boxes.

Shipping boxes for fresh citrus fruit must conform to the specificationsof the State of Florida for the standard legal shipping boxes, crates orcontainers to be used in shipping fresh citrus fruits. Suchspecifications require the box be made to certain specified dimensionswhich are of no significance in connection with the construction anddesign of boxes made in accordance with this invention.

It is found that shipping boxes for citrus fruits are mostly damaged bybreakage of the side or bottom panels that extend between the end wallsand center partition that is usually provided for such boxes, and theconstruction must be such that repairs and replacements of broken partscan be made in the field with a simple tool like a hammer or hatchet.

In accordance with the present invention, the general design ofpresent-day shipping boxes is not changed, so that repairs of woodenboxes can be made with the plastic panels of this invention by simplynailing the panels to the wooden end and partition members of the boxes.It is a primary object of this invention to provide shipping boxes forfresh citrus fruit utilizing wooden and end partition members andplastic floor and side wall panels, the panels being of corrugated shapeto give them structural strength, and are provided with what may bedesignated seating areas for mounting and nailing on the wood ends andpartition member and for receiving the standard banding.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of theaccompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like referencecharacters designate like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective, partially cut away, of a shipping boxfor fresh cirtus fruits, embodying the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross section of a portion of the panel "ice strip and endwall cut away, taken along the line 2-2, FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of a panel used as part of the bottom wallof the box;

FIGURE 4, a cross section, partially in elevation, taken along the line4-4, FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5, a portion of the panel taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6, a cross section taken along the line 6-6, FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is an end elevational view of the panel of FIGURE 3.

With reference to the several figures of the drawings, the numerals 1, 2and 3 designate the end and partition walls of a shipping box, and thenumerals 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, the floor and side wall panels,respectively. The end walls and partition members are cut out at 10 toprovide openings for the ends for gripping cleats 11 that extend acrossthe end and partition walls. The numeral 12 designates bands havingperforations 13 for receiving nails 14 by which the panels and floorboards ar assembled. The numeral 15- designates vent holes.

Both the floor panels and the side wall panels 4 through 9 are alike andare made by the injection molding process as an integral solid panelmember of corrugated shape, as shown, and are provided with roundededges or beads 16, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. At the ends and at thecenter of the panels, the panel is provided with nailing sections, suchas are shown at 17, 18 and 19 of FIGURE 3, and in detail in FIGURE 6,the nailing sections having straight faces 20 and 21 for engaging thefaces of the end boards 1 and 3 and the dividing center piece 2, thenailing sections being recessed, as shown at 22, to reduce the mass ofthe molded section, and thereby reduce the weight and cost of thepanels. As shown in FIGURE 2, the nails 14 are driven through the holes13 of bands 12, then through the nailing section and into the board 1 ofthe end wall. Similar nailing sections, as shown at. 18 in the center ofFIGURE 1, are provided on the panels for nailing the panels to thedividing wall 2.

The bands 12 extend across the top of the cleats 11 and around thebottom of the shipping box to tightly secure the panels and end anddivider walls as a unitary member.

Because, as shown in FIGURE 6, the nailing areas have straight faces 20and 21, they will line up with the edge faces of the end walls anddividing wall, as well as with the bands 12, so that there is nodisplacement of the panels or the bands because of the corrugated shapeof the panels.

It is evident that shipping boxes utilizing plastic panels made by theinjection molding process are relatively inexpensive, but because theyare impervious to weather conditions and have a much longer life, theyare commercially feasible. Also, they are readily repaired in the fieldby the use of a nail and hammer, if they are damaged, as by loosening ofthe band or if one the panels is fractured. It can obviously be readilyreplaced whether it is a bottom or side panel.

The plastic panels can be employed either to make repairs by replacingwood panels currently used, or they can be built as new shipping boxes.The wood ends and center can be used in constructing new boxes withplastic panels, as is shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. Also, theplastic panels can be used only at the top sides of the boxes, one oneach side where the breakage mostly occurs. If the shipping box forcitrus fruit is made entirely of plastic material, the end and partitionwalls can be molded to adapt them to the corrugated shape of the panels,and the nailing area can be eliminated except at the face of the panelsfor receiving the bands.

It is evident from the foregoing description of this invention thatshipping boxes made of plastic are relatively strong and durable andwhile the initial cost may be greater than an all-wooden box, it wouldbe more economical to use in the end. It is estimated that there areover ten million wood shipping boxes in the field, of which about 25%are repaired annually by replacement of the outside boards, and by meansof the present invention, these costly repairs can be greatly reduced oreliminated.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated anddescribed, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

1. A container for gathering and shipping fresh citrus fruit and thelike comprising end walls of substantially rectangular shape havingseating faces for mounting side and bottom panels thereon, panel membersof thermoplastic material molded to corrugated shape to give themstructural strength and having nailing sections with integrally formedseating areas filling in the grooves of the panels with flat facesengaging the seating surface of said end walls, and for receivingbanding strap metal wrapped around said panels and nailed to said endwalls through said seating areas.

2. A container as set forth in claim 1 having a partition member withseating faces and in which the side and bottom panels have integrallyformed mailing sections at the ends and at the portion of the panels forengaging the partition member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 570,763 11/1896 Morrill 217-361,930,988 10/1933 Townsend 217-40 1,932,294 10/1933 Stuart 217-362,011,801 8/1935 Denny 217-36 2,483,269 9/ 1949 Fender 220-4 2,974,8193/1961 Melville.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

